Winter Shorts

I really like shorts and tights for the winter. Different and fun alternative to a skirt or dress! Could be cute with boots for a casual look or heels for going out. Definitely save the sequins mini shorts for NYE! 

Holiday Dressing: Emerald Green

I could do a million posts on dresses and outfits for holiday get-togethers and parties! I love getting dressed up and sparkly for the holidays! I found this dress online and thought it was something different from the standard red or black. I'm working on getting ideas for dresses to make for the season. What do you think? Green?

Holiday Table Setting

I realize this isn't really making anything, but I did use my sewing machine so that counts for something right? I found this fabric a few weeks ago in the sale bin at the fabric store and knew it would make the perfect table cloth for the holidays! Basically I brought it home, measured it on my table and used my Serger sewing machine to sew a rolled hem around the edges. Pretty! Still working on my centerpiece. 

Marinated Shrimp Appetizer

Marinated Shrimp Appetizer 

Ingredients:
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp dry mustard
1 tsp hot red pepper flakes
2 tsp salt
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 cloves garlic minced
6 green onions chopped
1/4 cup capers, drained
1 lemon quartered
2 bags of frozen medium or large shrimp thawed.

Cucumber slices

Directions:
Whisk together vinegars, black pepper, dry mustard, red pepper flakes, and salt. Slowly pour in oils, continuing to whisk until mixture thickens slightly. Stir in parsley, garlic, green onions and capers. Thaw shrimp by soaking in cold water. Remove tails. Drain shrimp and combine with marinade and quartered lemon. Cover and refrigerate overnight or up to 2 days. Drain marinade from shrimp and serve with on chilled cucumbers slices.

Easy Rolls

These rolls are great with dinner or even sorta biscuit-like for breakfast too! This is a pretty simple recipe.

Easy Yeast Rolls
Ingredients:
1 pkg yeast
1/4 tsp salt
1 egg(well beaten)
3 cups flour
1 Jiffy white cake mix
1 1/4 cup warm water

Directions: Mix yeast, egg, water and salt. Add Jiffy mix with flour. Stir until well blended. Put in a greased bowl. Cover with saran wrap. Let rise 1 hour. Shape into 12 balls and put in greased 9x13 pan. Let rise for 30-40 minutes. They will double in size. Bake 375 degrees for 17-20 minutes until brown.
Use butter to add flavor and shine to the top of your rolls.

Enjoy!

Christmas Fabric

Found this gem in the fabric store! What the heck? Seriously what would you make with this? If I could think of something I would use it just because it's hilarious!

Pumpkin Balls

Another way to use your cake ball maker!! Pillsbury makes several bread mixes that will all work in your cake pop maker. Follow directions on package for bread. Use teaspoon to pour batter into maker. Time for 5 minutes and Enjoy!

Chili attempt No. 2

Since my first batch of Chili turned out so well, the following weekend I went for Chili attempt number 2. This time I decided I liked could stand beans well enough and I wanted to try a chicken chili recipe. The first Chili turned out so spicy and wonderful with the beer, I was sure this one would as well.

I was wrong.

Well let me clarify. As I mentioned before Dan is really the beer connoisseur in this relationship and I tend to like lighter beers that are not so *hoppy. Basically, I wasn't thinking or just didn't know what I was doing and I used Flat 12 Half Cycle IPA beer. I kept trying and trying the soup and I just thought it tasted funky. Turns out the beer taste just stuck around and I'm not fond of that *hoppy(ness).  Dan didn't mind the taste and I just added extra salsa to kick it up and drown out the beer taste.

SO, rest assured this is a GREAT recipe. Word to the wise... use a light beer such as a Miller Lite and you'll be fine!!

White Chicken Chili 
Ingredients:
1 small onion
3 stalks of celery
1 Tbsp butter
1 "picked" rotisserie chicken
1 package of white chicken chili mix
1 12oz (preferably light) beer
4 cans of Great Northern Beans
3 cans of green chilis
4-6 cups of water depending on thickness desired.

Toppings:  avocado, salsa, sour cream and shredded cheese.

Directions: 
Pick your chicken. Set aside pieces in a bowl. Chop and saute onion and celery in butter in a large soup pot. Add chicken, chili mix, beer, beans, chili's and water. Cook until desired temperature.

Enjoy!!

Soup is red due to all the salsa I added. :) 

**Hops - The dried blossom of the female hop plant, which is a climbing herb (Humulus lupulus). Hops closest relative is the cannabis plant from which marijuana is derived. Only the seed cones from the female vine are used in making beer. Hops are responsible for the bitterness in beer.
Definition taken from Beer Tutor.

Extra Spicy Beer Chili

Neither my husband nor I are a fan of beans. I just don't like 'em and for the most part can't tolerate them. Baked Beans- absolutely not! Never. But because I'm a "grown up" I have decided to will myself to like them and tolerate them in certain recipes. I have never made chili due to my hatred for beans. I can make a mean Cincinnati Chili (all meat) but never regular chili. So I decided to suck it up and make regular chili anyway.

So far I have made Chili twice, so this will be a two part post. For my first Chili making experience I knew I better go with something spicy, extra tasty and with minimal beans. I found a recipe and tweaked it a bit to my liking and it was SO GOOD!

Over the last few years Dan has really gotten into craft beers and local breweries. I go along for the ride and just let him order for me! I'm not near as knowledgeable as he is, but it's still fun. One of his favorites is Flat 12 Bierworks a local brewery downtown Indianapolis. Flat 12 has a great Tap Room to try beers and also is the home to Byrnes Grilled Pizza- a mobile pizza truck that spends their weekends permanently at Flat 12 and serves incredible homemade pizza! You should definitely check them out!

Anyway... back to the Chili. Flat 12 is open on Sunday for carryout of beer. So Dan picked up a growler  of Pogues Run Porter to drink for the games and add to the Chili. I must say it was definitely a winner! The Chili was super spicy and perfect with the beer in it.

Extra Spicy Beer Chili
Ingredients
2 pounds of ground turkey (or beef)
1 large white onion, chopped
2 cans of diced tomatoes
2 cans of tomato sauce
12oz of Flat 12 Pogues Run Porter Beer
2 cans of spicy chili beans
1/4 cup worcestershire sauce
3Tbsp Tabasco sauce
1/3 cup chili powder
3 fresh jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped
3Tbsp red pepper flakes
3/4 cup of elbow noodles

Directions

Crumble and brown the ground turkey until cooked. Drain grease if necessary. Transfer to large soup pot. Add remaining ingredients except noodles. Cover the pot and simmer on low heat for one and a  half hours. Add pasta (measure to the amount you prefer) and continue cooking for half an hour or until pasta is done.

Serve with Cheddar Cheese and cornbread! Enjoy!

• 
  

Ankle Boots

I've been eying a few different styles of ankle boots this season. Which ones do you like? 

Sausage Muffins

This is a great base recipe to start with and add things to. I made theses for a tailgate party a few weeks ago and they turned out great!

The original recipe is from Southern Living 2006 if you want to look it up.

Spicy Sausage and Cheese Muffins
Ingredients
1 pound of Jimmy Dean Hot Sausage
3 Cups of all-purpose baking mix
1 1/2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese
1 Can condensed cheese soup
3/4 cup water
1 can of green chili's

Directions
Crumble and brown the sausage until fully cooked. Rinse and drain meat. In a medium bowl combine all ingredients stirring until completely mixed. Spoon into greased muffin pans. I would suggest not using liners as mine stuck to them slightly. Or you can grease the liners. Fill to top of the cup.

Bake at 375 for 20-25 minutes.

Midland Arts and Antiques Market

We live in a condo and therefore don't have a whole lot of space to decorate and furnish, but we have been wanting to go check out Midland Arts and Antiques for some time so we went last weekend. Midland is a large warehouse downtown with 2 stories full of arts and antiques from over 200 sellers. There was SO much to look at. We had such a great time. They have everything you could imagine there, vintage clothing, arts, furniture, and toys all from different eras. We found so many neat things! It's definitely worth checking out for great deals and vintage finds. 

Vintage furniture. 

Silver and gold suitcases. LOVE! 

Vintage sign letter "S" we bought for our living room. 

Easy Whoopie Makin

Last year I became obsessed with Whoopie Pies. See my recipes here, here, and here. Recently while about and about I have come across some easier ways (not that they are hard) to make them.

What kind of Whoopie Pies have you made?

Tutu Cute

Last year I made my niece a pathetic looking tutu to wear with her Colts onesie (Sorry, Alex). Honestly I just didn't know what I was doing and sewing layers of tulle is hard! A few weeks ago I got the bright idea to just google how to make baby tutus (duh) and found this tutorial. Easy! So I whipped this tutu up for my friend Kerrie's precious newborn Kamryn! I just gave it to her last night, so I will follow up with pictures once she wears it to cheer on our team on Sunday!

Finished Tutu! 

Go COLTS!!! 

In case you aren't up to the task of making one, you can buy an adorable tutu and matching headband at this Etsy shop  Caroline's Boutique! Super cute for baby pictures and holidays. 

Turkey Sausage and Tri Color Peppers

This is a simple recipe that's healthy and REALLY tasty! I started making this a few months ago and make it every other week! Turkey Sausage is really good and much better for you. I usually use Jennie O Italian Turkey Sausage, Hot Italian or even Bratwurst.

Turkey Sausage and Tri-Color Peppers

Ingredients:
Turkey Sausage links
sliced Onion
sliced yellow bell pepper
sliced red bell pepper
sliced green bell pepper
1/4 cup chicken broth
1 Garlic clove minced
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp oregano

Directions:
Remove casing from sausage links. Cut sausage into small pieces and brown on medium high heat until fully cooked. Add remaining ingredients and saute until liquor is evaporated and vegetables are done.

You can eat this plain or you can have it over pasta or rice. I typically do not use a full onion or full peppers for only 2 people.